A question on Randall compasses...

Melvin-Purvis

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As we try to wrap up the first series of articles on ‘Dating Randall’s for the KnifeForums magazine, we’re left doing a clean-up article covering those few things we haven’t covered in detail yet…

Specifically, ‘Blade Stamps and Grinds’, ‘Hilts and Lanyard Holes’, and ‘Compasses’…I think we have a pretty good handle on the first two items, but the compasses are causing us fits…

There seems to be little information available on RMK shop installed compasses, and what information there is, is often contradictory. If I’m reading this right, it goes something like…

The large, .75” black face compass was first introduced in the late 40’s; with the small .50” black face compass introduced by 1952…

A different style, possibly made by a different maker, started supplying both sizes of black faced compasses by early 1960’s, carrying on this style with only minor changes until the mid 1970’s…

Based on what I’ve read on the forums, and seen on knives, I believe that a white faced compass was tried for a short time in the mid-late ‘70’s, though I can’t find reference to this in print…(Does anyone here know if white faced compasses were used in the 70’s, if even for just a short period of time?)-edited to add- (Yes, per TC)

These white compasses ‘may’ have been installed by the shop years after the knife was made, but the ones I’ve seen look ‘different’ from those of later years… -edited to add- (Yes they did)

Back to black face -edited to add- (supplied by Marble's) from around the late ‘70’s to the mid ‘80’s, then another run of white faced models continuing until introduction of the current black faced luminescent compasses around the mid to late 1990's… -edited to change- (Early 90's)

Am I close guys? We all have the same books, so let me know what you think…based on what you own or have seen please…

Thanks,

Mel

-edited to add- Thanks for your help guys...
 
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